Parents can plant seeds of compassion this holiday season by letting their children care for others. This time of year there are many ways to nurture empathy.

• Have kids help out with holiday planning. A parent hosting a party can ask their child how to make it more enjoyable for the guests.

• Give a deeper understanding of how can they can make a difference through acts of charity. A fun way to introduce children to charity is World Vision Gifts (www.worldvision.ca/gifts). Kids can also carry their own change to donate to charities collecting money in malls and shopping centres.

Most parents know that breakfast is important, yet some children are leaving for school hungry. New research from Nutella reveals statistics on the breakfast attitudes and habits of Canadian families and opportunities for how to get more breakfast on Canadian tables:

Fact: More than a quarter of Canadian Moms (26.3%) agree that they are too rushed to prepare breakfast for their children weekday mornings before school.

Our ancestors are so important. Do we do a good job of inspiring our children to want to learn more about them? Enjoy this guest article from Manny. Grandpa Richard.

Knowing one’s family history is so important because it connects you with the past and cultural aspects of your identity. However, children don’t always realize these benefits until it’s too late – maybe you’re gone, maybe the photos are lost in a move. How can you help them understand why it’s so important to appreciate your family’s ancestry right now? Read on to find out!

As a parent, one of your most important responsibilities is to help your children develop their spirituality, often resulting in a specific kind of faith. That task isn’t always as easy as it sounds, so how can you tackle the mission? Read on to find out!

Choose a Faith

One concept that is becoming somewhat popular in society is to let children “choose their faith.” This method can work, but it doesn’t mean that you should avoid educating your children at all. It’s wise to pick a faith in which you are going to raise your children and to bring that faith into your daily life. You can certainly teach children about other religions, as you well should, but picking one provides a foundation to draw from, compare and contrast.

As a parent, it’s your job to raise your children in a way that will help them get a good start in life. From teaching your child basic manners to helping your teenager learn to drive, there are many different things you will teach your child throughout his or her life. One of the most important things you can teach your child, though, that will truly help him or her get a good start in life is how to be financially responsible. If you want to teach your child about the value of money and how important it is to handle it responsibly, here are four things you can do.

Parenting is possibly the most challenging thing to do; and also the one thing you can’t mess up. It is the most rewarding experience ever, but tests your patience to the very extreme as well. Yes, children shriek, they cry and just don’t listen. But still, they are children! And it is okay to lose your temper; juggling office work, household chores and looking after your kids’ needs can push you over the edge. You can’t hold things together all the time. But afterwards, go to your child and apologise. Accept your mistake; give her a hug and a kiss. Just see how easily children forgive and forget.

When your child is born you think they are going to be little forever, but sooner or later you realize they will be leaving home for college quicker than you expected. Life goes so fast and they grow up so quick. When you are crying because you miss having them around the one thing that will help cheer you up is getting out your old photos and reminding yourself what they were like when they were young. You’re lucky because in this day and age you will probably have thousands of them to choose from.

When you plan to buy clothes for children, you need to consider several factors. This becomes all the more important if you are buying kids clothes for gifting purposes. Children’s apparel departments offers an extensive variety to choose from. Read the guidelines mentioned below to make your purchase easy and successful.

Building block toys have always been a favorite among children thanks to the fact that they are both fun and challenging, especially for toddlers and preschoolers. However, other than just being an entertainment tool, building block toys offer several benefits for your kids. Here are 5 of those benefits:

The winter season is a perfect time to explore different activities for families to do together. Just because it may be cold outside and the days seem shorter is no reason to not spend precious time enjoying each other’s company.

Finding things to do in the winter time may be considered more difficult than spring or summer, but with a little planning there’s plenty you can do as a family!